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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29261010">Bright Eyes (burning like fire)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lonelylilravenclaw/pseuds/Lonelylilravenclaw'>Lonelylilravenclaw</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians &amp; Related Fandoms - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awesome Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Jason Grace &amp; Percy Jackson Bromance, Jason Grace Lives, Jason Grace Ships Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, M/M, Mild Language, Piper McLean is a Good Friend, Protective Percy Jackson, Protective Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:00:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,293</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29261010</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lonelylilravenclaw/pseuds/Lonelylilravenclaw</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Y/n has two uncles, a dead mother, and an immortal father.<br/>Dragged to camp by her best-friend-turned-goat Ash and nursed back from the brink by human candle Leo, a visit from her godly stepmother Persephone sets another adventure in motion. Armed with shadows and the power of death, y/n must discover exactly how all this happened - and how it connects her to her brand-new friend, Flaming Valdez.<br/>Featuring Reyna being Done With Men, Nico being Sad and Sassy, Will being Gay and Leo being Leo.</p><p>**ignores ToA, it's depressing**</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Leo Valdez/Reader, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Past Calypso/Leo Valdez - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. You get run over by a group of over eager bat-humans</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is written in response to the shocking lack of Leo x reader fics. There's only two pages of them!!! Leo has been around for, what, ten years? </p><p>Anyways, thanks for anyone who has clicked this far.<br/>I'm writing as quickly as possible to give you regular updates!</p><p>Let the x reader -ing begin!</p><p>- M  🔥</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ash dragged you over the boundary line, before giving up and letting go of your arm. The satyr leaned over you as your vision swam in and out of focus.</p><p> "Hang in there!" He said, before bouncing down the hill. Your eyes finally gave up the fight, and you sank into darkness.</p><p>-</p><p>You sat up suddenly.</p><p> "Woah, there!" A voice said . An <em>extremely </em>warm hand pushed you back into a horizontal position.</p><p>You cracked one eye open. The dark room buzzed around a little before you adjusted to the light level. You could see pretty well - you'd always been able to see in the dark. "Where am I? Where's Autumn? Is she okay? The monsters -"</p><p> " -are gone." the person at the bed side assured you. "You're safe now. You're at Camp Half-Blood."</p><p> You sat up properly now. "What? A camp?"</p><p> " Uh, yeah. Didn't Ash explain? "</p><p> "He just yelled 'The gods are real!' and got back to fighting Mr Prewitt. Who was a bat! Why was he-"</p><p> "Slow down - your name's y/n, right? - y/n. It's pretty simple. All the stuff you read about in Greek Mythology is real. One of your parents is a god."</p><p> "Which one?"</p><p> "Which parent, or which god?"</p><p> "Which god. I know it's my dad, I'm not THAT stupid."</p><p> "You're taking this weirdly calmly."</p><p> "I'll be more freaked out when I'm not in a dark room with a complete stranger. I'm more worried about the stranger right now. Also, answer my question."</p><p> "We don't know who your parent is. You're meant to have been claimed ages ago, but I guess if you weren't at Camp then you couldn't have been. And-" the person clicked on the light - "My name's Leo. Son of Hephaestus."</p><p> "The God who makes things?"</p><p> "I guess."</p><p>You took a closer look at Leo. He certainly looked like someone who made things - there were burns in the shoulder of his shirt, and grease marks everywhere. There was a hastily pinned-on badge on his chest which read '<em>Valdez, Cabin 9'.</em> Oil was painted over his cheek like war stripes; around his waist he wore a toolbelt, which was glowing slightly as he put a hand in and withdrew something. </p><p>"Eat this," he said, handing you a fluffy yellow square. You looked at it suspiciously, but nibbled off the corner. Its taste reminded you, weirdly, of home.</p><p>"What is it?" you asked, though you really didn't care at this point.</p><p>"Ambrosia. Food of the gods - don't eat any more, it'll burn you up, and that's my job."</p><p>You didn't know what he meant, but you also didn't have the energy to ask. You decided to focus on the basics.</p><p>"My father's a god, and I'm at a camp for . .  . kids of the gods?" Leo nodded. "And monsters follow me around. And satyrs are real. And your last name is Valdez."</p><p>Leo rolled his eyes. "Well done, Sherlock. I'm glad this badge has some use, cos Chiron made me put it on."</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"I'm a cabin counsellor - I'm in charge of Cabin 9."</p><p>"How many - uh - half-bloods are there?"</p><p>"Oh, loads," Leo said cheerfully. "Dionysus only has one kid, same as Poseidon, and Artemis and Hera don't have any. Zeus and Hades have very few - Hades only had any cos his kids were frozen in time - <em>don't ask - </em>but the other gods have masses. Hermes has been especially busy recently - unlucky you, you'll be living with the Hermes kids until you're claimed. Can you stand up?"</p><p>You were decidedly confused, but stood up obediently. You wobbled a little, but Leo's ridiculously warm hands steadied you (seriously, why was he so warm?!). Leo led you out of the room, chattering all the way. He cracked a stupid amount of jokes, which you giggled at a little just to be nice. By this time, you'd reached what seemed to be the main room, and Leo had already told you why the Minotaur crossed the road, why Poseidon was embarrassed, and why Aphrodite liked chickens (no-one wants to know the punchline to that one). </p><p>"Ah, y/n," a bearded man in a wheelchair smiled at you. "Good to see you up and about. Thank you, Leo, you can go back to your cabin now."</p><p>Leo grinned, ruffled your hair, and left. You immediately turned to the man.</p><p>"Is he always like that?"</p><p>The man laughed. "Yes, he is. I think he's excited to see a new camper. He isn't the usual choice for introductions, but you looked like you could do with some jokes."</p><p>You frowned. "I look that bad? Actually, don't answer that. All I want to know is why Mr Prewitt turned into a bat."</p><p>"First things first, y/n. My name is Chiron, and I help run Camp Half-Blood. Here you'll learn how to survive, because as a half-blood, there are monsters everywhere in the world. They diguise themselves, like - who did you say? - Mr Prewitt did. Soon you'll be able to fight things like him on his own.</p><p>  "Secondly, always remember names have power. If you can, avoid saying the names of the gods except when talking to them. No-one likes to be talked about.</p><p>"Thirdly, you'll be staying in Cabin 11 until you're claimed. This shouldn't take too long, as the gods swore on the River Styx to claim their children. I don't know how you have survived so long away from camp, but now you're here, expect to be claimed within - a week sounds fair."</p><p>You nodded along.</p><p>"Now. We have a little orientation film for you to watch. Any questions?"</p><p>"Yeah. Why will monsters be everywhere? Why do they want to - kill me?"</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"No, y/n. Please stay behind after class."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You turned in confusion. You did well at school, and you'd never been asked to stay behind after class. You normally got the awards, and you were quiet. Often people would be amazed at your concentration.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Is everything alright, Mr Prewitt?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The rest of the class filed out, casting back curious looks.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I just wanted to go over this work with you. Is it going well?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You furrowed your brow. "Yes, I've found it interesting."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mr Prewitt stood up. "Come with me, y/l/n."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You followed him warily. As you walked behind him, you noticed his shoulder blades were quite big.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Soon you were joined by Mrs Kelly. She seemed to be wearing a jacket with enormous shoulder pads. She started walking next to Mr Prewitt, which confused you more. Why were both of them 'talking to you about your work'?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Something was off. You tried to turn around, to get back outside, but Mr Prewitt spun around. His eyes seemed to be - glowing?</em>
</p><p>
  <em> "Don't try to run, child. I will always find you. It's easier this way."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What's easier? What way?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mr Prewitt's suit shoulders burst, as terrifying leathery wings free from his back. Beside him, Mrs Kelly's shoulder pads has ripped to reveal more wings.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>the bat-people advanced quickly, baring their teeth. You backed away as quickly as you could, but you'd already hit a wall.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Children of the gods always cause trouble," Chiron said.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>A/n: <a href="https://discord.gg/TKh9s9MrSb">Chaotic discord server</a> anyone?</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. You befriend a human birthday candle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leo shows you around camp, and you find out why he was actually picked to be your guide.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy Valentine's, my dudes!</p><p>If you're reading fanfiction today . . . . join the club. In honour of this most lonely occasion, have a chapter. I'm not really ready to begin posting, but. Enjoy, all 43 of you who have read it.</p><p>- M</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The orientation film lasted about an hour. Chiron said they'd had to add onto it in the past months to make sure that half-bloods understood the recent history.</p><p>What interested you most was the bit at the end, which involved none other than Leo. Apparently, he hadn't been at camp that long, but had already fought in a war. This place was ridiculous.</p><p>"I'll take you to Cabin 11, where you'll be staying," Chiron said. "It's right next to Cabin 9, so I'll get Leo to show you around."</p><p>You nodded, and followed the centaur out onto the grounds. It had been quite a shock when you'd discovered his secret, but there were more important things to worry about. Like who'd had a kid with your mom. </p><p>-</p><p>Cabin 11 was loud and fun. The counsellor opened the door; Connor Stoll grinned at you from the doorway.</p><p>"You the newbie? Come on in. We've got a spare bunk right at the front."</p><p>You didn't have anything with you apart from a bag full of textbooks which you doubted you needed anymore. According to Chiron, most of the campers were either dyslexic, ADHD, or both. You were neither; the most ADHD you got was that you couldn't sit still. It was just a fidget tendency, not enough to even consider going to a doctor. Either way, they didn't do proper school here; you learned to fight monsters, and the directors prayed you could read before you got there.</p><p>You dumped your bag on the bed anyway, and waved at the other Hermes kids. Then you left again, to where Chiron was standing outside with Leo.</p><p>"Alright there, y/n?" Leo said, and winked.</p><p>You rolled your eyes, but set off across the grounds with him. </p><p>"There's the rest of the cabins," Leo gestured in a vague way to the buildings. One looked particularly lonely; it didn't have a cabin opposite it like the others did. It was built of obsidian, and had torches glowing green by the door.</p><p>"What's that one?" you asked, pointing. </p><p>"That's the Hades cabin," Leo said. "Doesn't have any occupants most of the time, since we've only got one Hades kid here at camp, and he mostly lives in the Underworld with his dad. Visits occasionally."</p><p>"What about the oath? You know, where the Big Three can't have kids?"</p><p>"If you know about that, you'll know that Poseidon's kid has lead the last two major quests and there're two kids of Zeus."</p><p>"Yeah, but it also said Hades hadn't broken the promise."</p><p>"Nico - he's the Hades kid - was born in the 30s. After his mom died he was placed in a hotel where time stands still, so he's about our age now."</p><p>"Sounds messy."</p><p>"It is. He's been at camp longer than me, of course, but he's pretty scary so most people don't really talk to him."<br/>
"But he's a kid."</p><p>"He can raise the dead."</p><p>"So you think he's going to kill you?"</p><p>"You never know..." Leo said, wiggling his fingers in front of your face. </p><p>"The question is, if everyone's been here longer than you, why are you showing me around?"</p><p>"I'm your age. I'm a head counsellor."</p><p>"Chiron said I look like I needed some jokes. What does that even <em>mean</em>?"</p><p>"I have no idea. I don't tell jokes, I'm just naturally charming."</p><p>You must have looked as skeptical as you felt, because he laughed.</p><p>"I'm not kidding, but honestly, I think Chiron felt bad for me. My other friends are all in relationships with each other."</p><p>"So you're, like, the seventh wheel."</p><p>"Yup."</p><p>"But isn't Jason at Camp Jupiter?"</p><p>"How in the actual Hades did you know that?"</p><p>"Look, I'm smart. You're dumb. This is how life is gonna work from now on."</p><p>"Reverse that and you might have it right. Anyways, Piper is a good friend, but she's also constantly trying to set me up with people and now I'm avoiding her."</p><p>"Man. And you've never actually fancied anyone here?"</p><p>"Nope. Guess I'm just too cool for half these people. All of these people, actually, I just bless them with my presence."</p><p>"Ri-ight. Okay. Wait, are those archers?"</p><p>And so the tour continued, until they went to the pavilion for dinner.</p><p> </p><p>"So we sit at tables according to cabins. I'm going to liven up the Hephaestus kids, because none of them are as cool as me, and you're going to be pranked by the Hermes guys. Good luck!"</p><p>"Wait what-" but Leo was already gone, bounding over to a table full of people who were all covered in grease and burns. As you watched, Leo lit his hand on fire, seemingly from the inside, and started charring his food (god knows why).</p><p> </p><p><em>Great, </em>you thought. <em>First friend is the resident candle.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A skeleton makes fashion choices</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You are claimed by your godly parent, and you meet your cabin mate.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The idea of nightly campfires in the middle of learning to kill was so pure it hurt. The fire roared, changing colours as more campers sat on the logs and benches near it. Leo dragged you over to where his friends sat; you were introduced to Percy, Annabeth, and Piper, as well as Hazel, Frank, and Jason who had managed to come over from Camp Jupiter. They were welcoming and friendly, but soon paired off into their couples. Leo raised his eyebrows at you to say, <em>see? I told you so.</em></p><p>As you squished next to the mechanic, your eye caught on a shadow in the dark. It seemed to be - moving? It certainly wasn't a deer or anything, you could see well in the gloom normally. Leo didn't seem to have seen anything, though, so you turned your attention to a blonde boy who you'd seen teaching archery earlier - Will Solace, counsellor of the Apollo cabin, who was leading the songs.</p><p>However, the atmosphere seemed to sour a little as Will's head snapped up from where it had been bent over his ukulele to look at you. The other campers swiveled in their seats if they were nearer, or just turned their heads if they were on the opposite side to the campfire. You glanced at Leo to ask what was going on, but he was staring at a spot above your head with a mixture of awe and terror. </p><p>"What?" you asked out loud, but no-one answered. Then a voice echoed out from the shadows.</p><p>"All hail y/n y/l/n, daughter of Hades."</p><p>A boy stepped out from the shadow you'd thought was moving earlier. His dark hair and eyes made his face look even paler, and he twisted a skull ring with his white fingers. He dressed kind of like you when you felt like being emo; black ripped jeans, a skull print t-shirt and black sneakers which were falling apart. It seemed an unnecessarily dramatic entrance, but you had other things to think about. </p><p>The ground cracked around your feet; everyone seemed terrified, but no-one moved. A skeletal hand reached up, and hauled a whole human skeleton up. The undead soldier handed you a black t-shirt and gave you a military salute, before fading back into the ground. </p><p>Chiron was the first to shake himself. He bent his horse legs until he was kneeling. "All hail y/n y/l/n, daughter of Hades," he echoed.</p><p>The other campers knelt too. </p><p>The emo skeleton boy walked forward until he came to a stop beside you. "Let's go for a walk," he said. </p><p>You looked at Leo for reassurance. Valdez seemed shaken, but nodded confidently. "That's Nico di Angelo," he said. "Son of Hades. You'd better go."</p><p>-</p><p>"So what's Hades like, as a dad?" you asked, as you walked with Nico back to Cabin 11 to get your stuff.</p><p>"In the beginning he was pretty bad. Often would tell me it would be better if my sister hadn't died and I had-" the ground rumbled, and Nico stomped on it and yelled <em>'I'm getting there!' - </em>"but he's better now, especially since Percy helped him and his kids be accepted at Camp Half Blood."</p><p>"We don't seem too accepted," you said, marking the dead sister comment for later.</p><p>Nico considered this. "I guess there's a reason I live in the Underworld. Let me tell you, it's not for the company."</p><p> Leo had said that Nico was scary, but you didn't think so. Just an ordinary kid, who'd been an outcast and had accepted it. He was cool and had awesome powers and he sassed the god of the dead, but he was interesting to listen to. You suspected he was just waiting for someone to listen to him, and he had a lot of things to say to that person, when they came. He would be a good brother, you decided.</p><p>You grabbed your backpack off of your old bunk, which you would never sleep in. "Do we have to dress like - like - that?" you gestured to Nico's outfit. "Our cabin is black and you wear black and, much as I appreciate and love wearing black, sometimes I just want to wear green."</p><p>"You don't have to, though I think people assume Hades' kids are pretty much vampires. I suspect the builders of Cabin 13 were barely restraining themselves from shaping the beds like coffins."</p><p>You laughed, and followed Nico into your new home. It was pretty dark, but since Nico didn't really live there, the curtains weren't open. In the daytime it might be quite nice.</p><p>"How did you know to come here? Why did you come?"</p><p>"Much as I trust Leo, I don't think he's up to helping a daughter of Hades adjust," Nico said. "I was warned by Dad that you'd be here, and be claimed. I wanted to make sure you were okay, I guess. I know what it's like being a child of Hades, and to be thrown into a new world. This isn't the best one to be thrown into."</p><p>Your appreciation for your new brother pretty much doubled. "Thanks. Also, what's with the t-shirt?" It was still in your hands.</p><p>"The orange is horrible, isn't it?" Nico answered, looking back at the uniformed campers. "Dad made his own Camp Half Blood t-shirts for his kids. There's me and Hazel at Camp Jupiter, but Hazel's uniform is purple so she's okay. We've got our own branded stuff - black, I know - because the orange is just awful, and Dad refuses to subject us to that."</p><p>Your appreciation for your new father pretty much doubled. "How long are you staying?"</p><p>"Just the night. I'll visit more than normal, but I think you're alright with Hot Stuff over there."</p><p>You raised your eyebrow. "Hot Stuff?"</p><p>"Leo. It's a <em>nickname, </em>y/n, that Piper gave him. Don't think I didn't notice how close you two were, and you only met today."</p><p>"He's the only one I know here!"</p><p>"Uh-huh. Okay. Unpack, and then we can go back to the campfire and your new boyfriend. Although, as your brother maybe I should-"</p><p>"NO! Nico, what the hell? You're, like, twelve. I'm older than you, AND-" you added, as Nico looked like he might interrupt, "Leo is the first person I have met and he's now my friend. I think he promoted me to best friend just now. Don't make it weird, dude."</p><p>"I'm older than twelve! Just, I'm watching you...." Nico backed out the door, smiling slightly, before waiting for you to join him. "I notice you didn't deny you liked him, though."</p><p>"I don't like Leo."</p><p>"Now that's just rude," a voice behind you said. "Talking about me with Nico? Plain <em>rude</em>, lady."</p><p>You blushed bright red, and prayed Nico couldn't see. One glance at his face told you he had.</p><p>"D'you know what's ruder?" you argued. "Interrupting other people's conversations, and eavesdropping."</p><p>Leo threw an arm around your shoulders (Nico raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything). "Yeah, well. I heard my name, and that gave me permission."</p><p>"Was talking about ya, not to ya."</p><p>Leo took a glance to the side and noticed Nico was there. "Oh, hey Nico," Leo said, grinning slightly nervously. He hadn't been kidding when he said the Ghost King scared him.</p><p>"Evening, Valdez," Nico nodded, dropping the teasing tone he'd used with you. It was your turn to raise an eyebrow, but Nico just flicked his eyes to Leo's arm, still around you, and you knew not to say anything on pain of embarrassment. "You two go back to the campfire. I'll see you tonight, y/n." To your surprise, he hugged you. He left with a whispered <em>have fun </em>and a miniscule wink.</p><p>That kid would be the death of you.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You sure are a quiet bunch . . . but I've got an important thing to say.<br/>I want y/n to speak another language, to eventually get back at Leo and his Spanish. If you have any ideas on what language she should speak, or any headcanons about the characters - even just a corny joke you think Leo should tell - please comment it!! I need to the help!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. You find out that your younger brother is, in fact, elderly</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nico can't sleep, and ends up spilling his life story to you.<br/>Who knew you were such a nice person?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The campfire was horrifically fun, with a lot of out-of-tune singing and laughter. Will Solace took a backseat and let one of his younger siblings, Austin, start leading. In a weird twist, he made his way over to you.</p><p>"Hi," he said with an air of someone who had an important thing to ask. Then he asked it. "Is Nico ok?"</p><p>You furrowed your brow. "What do you mean?"</p><p>Will looked concerned. "He's always <em>shadow travelling </em>and <em>summoning </em>stuff and talking to <em>ghosts. </em>He looked absolutely dead on his feet, no pun intended, and I thought he was gonna collapse."</p><p>"Will's head doctor," Leo whispered in your ear.</p><p>"Oh," you said aloud. "Well he didn't collapse, or anything. He seemed fine."</p><p>"He's always tired, Will," Leo said. "Pretty sure he grows his eyebags for the aesthetic. Don't sweat."</p><p>Will nodded, but didn't look happy. A thought struck you, as you remembered how Nico had smiled a little when he caught sight of the Apollo cabin. "I think Nico's gone back to Cabin 13. You can check on him, if you like. I'm not clever enough to, though now you mention it, I am concerned," you said, praying Will got whatever microscopic hint you were trying to give him. You had noticed that Nico looked ill, but hadn't thought anything of it; giving Will a chance to talk to your brother was just a perk.</p><p>Will looked conflicted. "Are you sure? If I know Nico, he's passed out on his bunk right about now."</p><p>You raised your eyebrows, dragging a defensive answer out of the blonde. "We're close friends. Nico really helped right after the war, in the infirmary."</p><p>You just shrugged. "Do what you want. Blame it on me, if you're that anxious, but I think he'll be happy to see you."</p><p>Will bobbed his head, smiled for the first time that conversation, and walked off towards the cabins.</p><p>You grinned at a job well done. Leo looked at you, confused. "What was that about?"</p><p>"Leo, if I tell you this, then you have to swear you'll keep silent forever."</p><p>"What- yeah, ok. Swear on the Styx."</p><p>"Nice. Alright. I think Nico and Will have a little crush going on."</p><p>"What? No way! Nico has no soul, and Will's the absolute opposite. Was gonna say a little ray of sunshine, but he's really fricking tall."</p><p>You nodded in agreement to the last statement. "Nico 100% has a soul! He's so cute, isn't he? Just a little kid, really."</p><p>"Oh, yeah, totally. A kid who can raise the dead."</p><p>"I can do that too, ya know."</p><p>"Shit, yeah, I forgot." Leo shuffled away from you to emphasize, but he squished back up pretty fast. "What? It's cold," Leo said.</p><p>"Yeah, whatever. Nico's friendly, anyway. I guess you met him when you'd just rescued him? He would be quiet then, wouldn't he? But wasn't it <em>Nico's </em>friend Bob who saved Percy and Annabeth?"</p><p>"How did you know all that?"</p><p>"They added onto the orientation film, and I asked questions. Don't know a lot about Nico, though."</p><p>"Nah. Me neither."</p><p>"I guess I'll have to ask him, then - but no more teasing him! He's had a tough time, and he's younger than us."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah. Whatever - now sing with me!"</p><p>-</p><p>"Y/n," Nico said from his bunk. "Did you send the sunshine menace after me?"</p><p>"The sunshine - yeah, I did. Though not for the reason you think."</p><p>"Why the heck did you send him here? This is my refuge! My house! My place of escape from mother hen doctors!"</p><p>"Nico. I saw how you looked after he left."</p><p>"Wha-"</p><p>"Nico di Angelo, you have a crush on him and if you don't act on it, I will. I know you're going to stay at camp now, because he convinced you to."</p><p>Nico froze, and for a moment you panicked you said something wrong. But he quickly blushed and frowned, before sighing. "I don't like sharing a cabin with you, y/n. You make me say my thoughts, and I don't want to say them."</p><p>You laughed. "So tell me. How are we gonna woo Will?"</p><p>Nico's nose wrinkled. "Thing is, I'm from the past. Men didn't - openly - like men back then."</p><p>"From the past?"</p><p>"Didn't Leo say anything?"</p><p>"No...."</p><p>"Wow. He's less of a blab then I thought he was. Basically, after my mother died - was killed, by Zeus - Hades sent me and my sister Bianca to a hotel where time basically stands still. I was born in 1932, but I was still ten in 2007."</p><p>"Sister....?" You questioned, trying to see how much Nico was willing to talk.</p><p>"Dead now."</p><p>"Oh."</p><p>Nico didn't talk any more after that, so you turned over in your bunk and went to sleep.</p><p>-</p><p>You woke in the middle of the night to see darkness filling your cabin. You'd never had any problem with shadows, so you didn't mind, but you were confused as to why they were there.</p><p>You were about to get up when you looked to the floor. It was cracked, and bones littered the space. In the middle of the carnage sat Nico, fully awake and shaking violently.</p><p>"Nico...?"</p><p>Nico's head snapped up. "Oh. Y/n. I forgot you were here. Sorry about this - you can go back to sleep."</p><p>"Only when you do," you said, big sister mode activated. </p><p>"I don't think I'm gonna sleep any more."</p><p>"Why not?"</p><p>"Nightmare."</p><p>"Want to .. . talk about it?"</p><p>Nico glared at you, but you stood your ground. "I hate that you make me say stuff, y/n. I don't wanna talk, but I'm going to. I hate you."</p><p>"OK." You settled on the floor next to him, sweeping some bones to the side. "Talk."</p><p>So Nico did. He talked for hours, about his mother and his sister, about his first-ever trauma back in 1940, about losing his family, about Hades nowadays, about Hades back then, about his most recent trauma, just this year. His voice started to scratch but he kept going - "If I don't say it now, you're never going to know."</p><p>About three quarters of the way through, your sibling mode went into overdrive, and you ended up in a cuddle pile right there on the floor. Nico didn't even feel cold like everyone said he was; although, you'd always had bad circulation.</p><p>When he finished, you sat there for a while. "I don't know what to say, Nico. 'Sorry' doesn't cut it, does it? Anything is going to sound false. But, know that I'm always going to support you-"</p><p>"You've known me for a day-"</p><p>"You're my younger brother, and it's too bad, you're stuck with me. Which means you will be staying at camp like you were meant to after the war."</p><p>"I did stay! But then I had work to do in the Underworld."</p><p>"So now you're back. Excellent. In the morning, we're going to sleep as long as possible."</p><p>"But I wanted to teach you your powers!"</p><p>"You can do that any time. And then we're going to create a game plan for getting Will, cos he already likes you back."</p><p>"Does not."</p><p>"Does too."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>PLEASE COMMENT HEADCANONS, JOKES AND IDEAS!!!</p><p>Any ideas for y/n's background or a language she could speak?<br/>How could I make her more relatable?</p><p>I live on comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. You Shadow Travel Better Than Shadow Dude Himself</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nico teaches you some powers, and you find your area of expertise: shadows. Will does his Supportive Doctor thing. Leo makes fun of you, watches, and comments. You hit him.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Rise and shine, y/n!" a voice called. You rolled over, and saw Nico, freshly dressed in yet more skeleton prints. "I'll be down at the pavilion. Jason's come back from Camp Jupiter!"</p><p>You furrowed your eyebrows. Nico was surprisingly happy - and nice as that was, it did make you uneasy. "Why are you so chirpy?"</p><p>"Today's the day I teach you your powers, you manage to shadow travel, and then you pass out for a week and I can do what I want!"</p><p>"Yay."</p><p>Nico left so you could dress.</p><p>-</p><p>"Yo, y/n. I heard Shadow Dude's gonna teach you some powers today. It's gonna be so cool! You'll just get to <em>zap </em>and go wherever you want!" </p><p>Leo had joined you, Nico, and (inexplicably) Will in the forest, where you were trying to summon a bone - though he made sure to stay well away from you and Nico, who were glowing darkly.</p><p>"Hi, Leo. It's not that easy. I haven't even got one bone yet."</p><p>Will frowned a little. "Nico, maybe she should try something different. Not every sibling of yours is going to have the same powers. Maybe y/n will have something you don't."</p><p>Nico considered this. "You know what, maybe she does. Do you want to try shadow travel?"</p><p>"Where I'm gonna pass out for a week?"</p><p>"Yeah. Look, I've got a healer on stand-by - an annoying one, I know-"</p><p>"Hey!"</p><p>"-so don't stress. He's an expert on shadow travel by now."</p><p>"I have to be." Will grumped. "You and your whims. <em>'Let's go to</em> <em>Boston, Will!' 'Let's travel to the highest point of the White House, Will!'</em> No self preservation at all-"</p><p>"Yeah, okay, she gets it. Nico is irresponsible," Leo interrupted. "Let's get on and do this!"</p><p>You decided to file away the fact that Nico takes Will around the country, and focus on shadow travelling. You reached out mentally, blending in with the shadows. You loved the dark; it made you feel safe and sheltered when you were worried. You felt a rush of cold wind, and suddenly you were standing right next to Leo.</p><p>"Woah-" you exclaimed, falling over.</p><p>Leo caught you, then laid you on the floor, propping you against a tree.</p><p>"How'd I do?" you asked Nico, who looked semi confused and semi impressed. Will ran over and gave you some ambrosia.</p><p>"That was really good, y/n. Either you're really powerful, or you've got a thing with shadows," Nico confirmed.</p><p>"She's got a thing with shadows," Will confirmed, passing a healer's gaze over you. </p><p>"How can you tell?" Leo asked, interested.</p><p>Will shrugged. "It's my job to know. She heals differently to Nico. Y/n-" he turned his attention to you - "You should be able to solidify, absorb, and manipulate shadows much easier than Nico, but you still can't over do it. It still takes a lot out of you. Luckily, you're older than Nico so you won't be as tired as he was when he was learning his powers. Stay away from trying to manipulate bones, it's a skill you won't be able to properly master."</p><p>"So Nico isn't actually Shadow Dude?" Leo asked, looking kind of disappointed.</p><p>Nico smiled a little creepily. "I can still vaporize you, Valdez. Y/n might be better at shadows, but I'm better at skeletons, bones, ghosts, and souls."</p><p>Leo looked suitably scared, and Nico picked you up (where the hell did that strength come from???) and took you back to your cabin to rest.</p><p>-</p><p>"It's time to meet the gang!" Leo announced.</p><p>"What?" you stood up from your seat on the Big Three table. </p><p>"The Camp Jupiter peeps have just dropped in, which means it's time for you to meet my friends!"</p><p>"Uh-ok?"</p><p>You waved at Jason, who was a nice if slightly over-enthusiastic son of Jupiter ("<em>Oh my gods Nico you have another sister?? A hades one?? Oh that's such good news! You won't be alone in your cabin! Y/n, I'm Jason, we're going to have so much fun-"). </em></p><p>Leo grabbed your hand - you fought a blush which you REALLY didn't want - and dragged you towards about seven demigods sitting around the campfire. A girl you recognised as Piper, the head of Aphrodite, waved you over.</p><p>"Y/n, right? We're going to have so much fun - JASON! GET YOURSELF OVER HERE NOW!"</p><p>Jason and Nico looked up, noticed the group, and Jason stood up, grabbed Nico, and pulled him over too.</p><p>"Right," Leo said approvingly, "Let's get this started. These are Percy and Annabeth, who go to college in New Rome-" a blonde girl and dark haired boy waved - "Frank, the male praetor-" Frank was tall and kinda intimidating, but he had a welcoming smile on his face - "Hazel, his girlfriend, your half-sister, I suppose-" Hazel gave you a hug - "You obviously know Piper somehow, and this is Reyna, the female praetor, who seems to have left the camp unguarded." Reyna rolled her eyes, hugged Nico, and flipped Leo off. She obviously had her priorities right.</p><p>"Camp Jupiter will be fine. It isn't full of doofuses like you, Valdez." Yep. You definitely liked this girl. </p><p>Leo feigned hurt, before striking up a conversation with Percy - who he called Waterboy. </p><p>As the night went on, you began to notice things about the group that you hadn't realised you'd noticed in Leo. They always kept one hand on their swords and an eye on their surroundings; Annabeth, Percy, Reyna and Nico looked especially tense and alert even while joking and laughing. Most of them looked like they could drop the smile, kill you, and then re-hitch their grin without hesitation. Even Leo looked slightly battleworn, something you'd attributed to his severe ADHD - a flyaway look to his eyes and hands constantly moving. ADHD and war didn't mix. </p><p>After a while, Will turned up, Brother Mode switched on. He checked your temperature, handed you ambrosia, and then turned on what you could only call Looking After Nico Mode. He fussed over Nico, frowned, poked him, gave him unicorn draught, whispered something to Reyna, and pulled Nico up and away, towards the Hades Cabin.</p><p>Reyna turned and gave you a look like, <em>Is it just me, or is there something going on there?</em></p><p>You replied with your classic <em>There is totally something more there </em>look. At least you weren't the only one who saw it. </p><p>Eventually, you were ready to pass out. You didn't even know if you could stand up any more - shadow travelling had really taken it out of you, and you should have been in bed ages ago. Leo caught your eye, and seemed to know exactly what was going on.</p><p>"Alrighty, <em>Reina fantasma</em> here needs to sleep. I'll see all of you tomorrow, yeah?" Leo took your hand, hauled you up, and let you lean on him heavily. </p><p>You caught Reyna's eye as you were leaving. She mouthed <em>Ghost Queen? </em>at you, and gave you her <em>There is totally something more there </em>look. You gave her your best death glare (it had worked on Leo), but she just smiled. You'd forgotten she hung around Nico.</p><p>"Leo...." you began, as you wobbled slowly towards Cabin 13.</p><p>"Yeah?"</p><p>"What did it mean?"</p><p>"What? <em>Reina fantasma</em>?"</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>"Ghost Queen. Figured you could rule with Shadow Dude."</p><p>Reyna spoke Spanish. Of course she did. You kind of wanted to kill her, but you just said, "Oh. Thanks." </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Leo Sits Still</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Shadow-travelling really took it out of you, and when you wake up, you're in the infirmary. It's a weird kind of deja-vu, as Leo is sat next to you. Meanwhile, Will develops a brand-new brother/doctor/friend hybrid just for you, and Piper and Jason seem to care about your state, even if you'd only known them for an evening.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You woke feeling more rested than you had in a while. For most of your life, sleep hadn't come easily. It seemed like that 'curse' had been lifted, just for a few hours.</p><p>You opened your eyes to blinding white lights and a weird hospital green. Your sheets were white, not red like Cabin 13's, and a side table sat by your bed. Sitting up, you realised where you were.</p><p>"Oh thank the gods - good morning, <em>belleza durmiente</em>," Leo said, from his position in a chair by you. "Have a nice sleep?"</p><p>"Uh- yeah," you said, disorientated. "Why am I in the infirmary?"</p><p>"Y/n, do you know how long you've been asleep?" Leo asked, a little frown on his face. He sat still, which worried you.</p><p>"No....."</p><p>"You've been asleep for three days. You had us all in a panic, you know - me, Nico, Will . . . speaking of, should probably call Will. He'll want to check you over."</p><p>"No need, I'm right here," Will called from across the room. He bustled over, his bright smile replaced with a 'I-care-about-you-but-you're-an-idiot' expression. "Eat this, and then you'd better explain what happened."</p><p>You took the offered ambrosia, and did your best to recall your fuzzy memories. "We were at the campfire. I felt . . .  I felt tired, and I didn't know if I could stand up. Leo - Leo was taking me back to Cabin 13 . . . . "</p><p>"You passed out on the doorstep," Leo offered helpfully. "Will was busy yelling at Nico to take care of himself and sleep, but when he came out he took you here. You've been asleep since. You missed the Camp Jupiters going home, but they were all worried."</p><p>"You should have seen Nico," Will added, now taking your pulse. "Pacing around, muttering to himself. Seemed to have forgotten that when he first shadow-travelled, he passed out for a week, alone. Although we are confused as to why the exhaustion crept up on you like that. You felt no effects during the rest of the day?"</p><p>"Well obviously I had to nap afterwards," you pointed out. "But that evening I felt fine." You turned to look at Leo. His fingers were tapping, which was a good sign, but he seemed to be thinking, hard. Maybe that was why he was sat so (comparatively) still - his brain was taking all of his energy. Dark circles swooped under his eyes, but his smile was just as bright as you were used to.</p><p>"I think you'll be okay," Will said. "No Underworld-y stuff for a while - which, incidentally, is what I told Nico right before he summoned five skeletons to make a conga line with him." Will's smile got bigger, and fonder, before returning to one which seemed to have been crafted exactly for you - a balance of brother, medic, and friend. "Luckily, you can't do that just yet - and you would absolutely faint for two weeks if you did. You're free to go. Leo, keep an eye on her."</p><p>"I think you mean Leo, get some fucking sleep," you corrected, which Will gave an approving nod.</p><p>"Good idea. Leo, get some sleep. Y/n, go and check on Nico, and then force him to sleep. Then go and update Piper and Jason, who are worried for all three of you, and then use your judgement - but probably get them to sleep too. No shadow travelling, no darkness manipulation. Eat something. After that, go get Leo again and do what you want."</p><p>You nodded dutifully. "Get Leo, Nico, Piper, and Jason to sleep. No darkness. Eat. Research why I passed out?"</p><p>Will grinned. "You would make a good medic. Now skedaddle, I've got patients to see too!"</p><p>You and Leo stood up, and left.</p><p>-</p><p>Nico had been easy enough to convince to sleep, as soon as he saw you were okay. Piper and Jason stopped pacing when they saw you, hugged you, and then went to rest too. Leo, however, was being a pain.</p><p>"Leo, you have to rest."</p><p>"So do you."</p><p>"I've been resting for three days. It's your turn." You felt bad immediately for bringing up the coma, as Leo winced, but you needed to make a point.</p><p>"My siblings are in the cabin. I won't get to sleep."</p><p>"I'm sure they'll be quiet for you."</p><p>"I don't want to interrupt them. They're doing important planning."</p><p>You looked around for inspiration, before your eyes hit on Leo's toolbelt. "Why don't you ask your belt?"</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Ask it what you need, so you can sleep."</p><p>Leo rolled his eyes, but your glare made him reach into a big pocket. He drew out a plastic model of a hill.</p><p>"What's that?"</p><p>"Bunker 9."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"I'll show you."</p><p>Leo grabbed your hand (what was with him doing that?) and pulled you into the forest, dodging trees and rocks like he could sense them. You followed - quite closely, as he hadn't let go of your hand - until you reach a seemingly sheer rock face. Leo lit his hand on fire, pressing it against the wall. A door swung open, and Leo gestured for you to go in.</p><p>You spun around slightly, amazed. The walls were lined with plans and tools; the workbench was covered in scribbles of unreadable handwriting and nails.</p><p>"Is that your handwriting?" you asked, for want of a better thought.</p><p>"Yeah," Leo said sheepishly. His fingers tapped lightly on his belt, but he seemed much more at peace here. "Only I need to read it, so I don't bother with the shit they teach in school."</p><p>"And why are we here?"</p><p>"To rest. It's what you wanted, isn't it?" Leo led the way into a back room, equipped with a sofa and a tv. "I stay here sometimes when I'm working on something important."</p><p>"Right. Okay."</p><p>You and Leo sat down on the sofa, leaning into each other naturally. Leo's arm was around your shoulders, and you snuggled in to put your head on his chest. You both ended up sitting slantily in front the of the TV, using your opposite body temperatures - you were freezing most of the time - to create a little sphere of atmosphere. Leo put on Finding Nemo (laughing about how it was Percy's favourite), and you closed your eyes.</p><p> </p><p>When you woke up again, your eyes immediately met Leo's. You could tell he hadn't slept.</p><p>"Leo Valdez!" you whisper-shouted, your voice croaky from sleep. "Go to sleep!"</p><p>Leo turned up one corner of his mouth, but he couldn't plaster on his usual breezy smile. "I can't."</p><p>"Why not?"</p><p>Leo looked away. You struggled upright so your face was at the same height as his, and then you grabbed his jaw and turned his head your way again. "Talk to me. Why can't you sleep? Aren't you tired?"</p><p>He shrugged. You scowled, and let go of his face, turning back to the TV, where the credits were rolling, and crossing your arms sulkily. Leo's head swivelled soon enough, and you could see his confused expression out of the corner of your eye.</p><p>"What did I do?" he asked. You ignored him, and prayed your idea worked.</p><p>"Y/n?" Silence. Eventually, he sighed, and got up. He didn't seem mad, so that was a start. He pulled a mug from a shelf behind the sofa, and told it, "Tea." You mentally raised an eyebrow. Leo flopped back next to you, and you allowed him to meet your eye. He sighed again, heavily, but seemed to know what would get you to speak again. </p><p>"I won't let you go into another coma," he told you defiantly.</p><p>Your heart immediately went out to him, but you forced yourself to stay cool. Your method was working.</p><p>"I'm not going to. I haven't done anything all day, Hammerhead."</p><p>Leo smiled a little at the new nickname, but it quickly fell. "You might. It snuck up on us - it snuck up on me. I should have seen it coming."</p><p>You resisted rolling your eyes, and instead shifted so you could look at Leo properly. His dark circles seemed to be becoming darker by the second. You tried for a smile, and found it came just as easily as it normally did around him.</p><p>"You shouldn't have. You noticed what was going on before anyone else at that campfire did. Will even checked me, remember? You did your best. There was no avoiding it."</p><p>"But-"</p><p>"No, Leo. Remember what Will said? Nico was passed out for a week, alone, after he first shadow travelled. I did three days, with you, and Will, and Nico."</p><p>"Okay, okay. I get it."</p><p>"Sleep now? I'm staying right here."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah. Sleep now."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Queen of the Dead makes s'mores</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Your stepmother appears at the campfire and gives you your quest...do you accept?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The campfire was loud that night. Piper and Jason squashed themselves next to you and Leo, where you sat opposite Nico and Will. Leo taught you some of the campfire songs, and the fire burned high and bright. </p><p>You'd just moved so you could ask Nico about redesigning the Hades cabin when the campfire went out in a burst of sparks. A murmur ran through the crowd, and Clovis jerked awake with a small snort.</p><p>In the centre of the fire, a woman stood, dressed in black with a flower crown. She stepped out, and Chiron came forward to kneel.</p><p>"Lady Persephone," he said, though his eyebrows conveyed his confusion. "What brings you here?"</p><p>Persephone gestured for him to stand, her eyes sparkling. "I would like to speak with my stepdaughter," she said, eyeing you. "The rest of you - well, you may carry on." The fire relit itself as she picked her way through gawking campers to where you, Will, and Nico sat. </p><p>"Nico!" she exclaimed, pulling him into a hug. "You have to visit, darling. And who's this?"</p><p>"This is my friend Will."</p><p>Persephone raised her eyebrows. "Hmm. Well. I'll have time to talk later, but for now - y/n, let's walk, shall we?"</p><p>-</p><p>A visit from the Queen of the Dead wasn't exactly on your bucket list, especially since she was probably liable to vaporize you for being a product of Hades' unfaithfulness. However, she told you she didn't hold it against you - "And anyway, that's not why I'm here. Your mother isn't around any more, is she? So I don't mind. It's not <em>your </em>fault."</p><p>You nodded, unsure of what she could have come for. Eventually you reached the Hades cabin, which Persephone frowned at, but entered anyway.</p><p>"Sit down, darling." she said, like it was her cabin. You sat.</p><p>"You're probably wondering why I'm here," she added, picking disdainfully at a bed's sheets. "I've been sent by your father. He's issued you a journey - a quest, if you will. Now, questions later-" she held up a hand as you opened your mouth - "I've got to outline it first. This quest will not require a prophecy. It is not required by the gods. It is not work for the gods. It is for you, and you only, darling. Lord Hades has learned his lesson with Nico. Now. How well did you know your mother?"</p><p>"Not well," you replied, deciding short and to the point was the best way to deal with gods.</p><p>"And she passed-"</p><p>"When I was seven."</p><p>"Quite. Raised by your uncles long before that, I hear?"</p><p>"Yes. My mother's best friends. She was . . . preoccupied at best."</p><p>"Mm-hmm. And, what would you do if you were offered a chance to meet her?"</p><p>"As in-?"</p><p>"Well, not meet her. Learn about her life. <em>Know</em> her, if you will."</p><p>"I might take it." You'd never really wanted to know more about your mother, you'd been raised happily by your uncles. Now, though, you were beginning to get curious. How did she meet Hades? Why did Hades bother with her? How had she died?</p><p>Persephone nodded. "I thought so. This is a personal quest. A chance to know more about yourself, and your mother. And so, will you take it?"</p><p>"Yes." You didn't need to think about it - in fact, your head was curiously devoid of thoughts. "What do I have to do?"</p><p>"Choose your quest mates - and choose carefully! Many demigods have complicated and often upsetting relationships with their parents." She seemed to know which people your mind was drifting to, as she added, "Nico is out of the question. As much as I would like him to come with you - he is experienced, especially in ways of history - I fear the experience will be too painful. You should take Valdez. He was close to his mother. Perhaps this will afford some closure for him."</p><p>"How many should I choose?"</p><p>"Just take the son of Hephaestus. Be wary, and allow yourself time to rest. I don't think it should be too painful for either of you, but be careful. If you find something you don't want to know, you can leave it. Lord Hades is very clear on that point."</p><p>You nodded. You didn't care for your mother any more; one upon a time this journey would be full of pain and emotion. Now, it was like being an archeologist. </p><p>"Be mindful of Valdez. Some parts of this, you must do alone - and he will not wish to comply with that. He has made his peace with his past, and now you must do the same."</p><p>You smiled a little; you kind of liked the idea of making peace with your dead mother, even if you didn't love her. "Okay. Can I tell Leo now? Or ask him, rather?"</p><p>Persephone smiled back at you. "Of course. I will come back with you and see Nico; is it just me, or can you see something brewing between him and the son of Apollo?"</p><p>"I can see it alright," you agreed. </p><p>"Alright then. Let's go and be embarrassing mothers!"</p><p>You liked Persephone now. A lot.</p><p>-</p><p>"You want me to go on a quest? With you?"</p><p>"Uh, pretty much. It's more of a journey, but yeah. Find out about my past, all that."</p><p>Leo looked parts flattered and anxious. "Are you sure you want me there? I mean, it is your mother. Maybe Nico would be better."</p><p>"Nico doesn't need to be reminded of his past. Maybe you don't either. Maybe I should ask Will."</p><p>"No, don't bother. I'll go!"</p><p>Persephone looked up from her seat next to a tomato-red Will and Nico. She looked at you, and you nodded. She got up and crossed to be opposite Leo, and suddenly you understood the moniker 'Dread Persephone'.</p><p>"I hear you're going on a quest with my daughter," she said. It made you feel safe in a weird way; you'd never had a mother, only two gay uncles, and you wondered whether this was what is was like. You appreciated her ignoring the 'step' part, anyway.</p><p>"Uh - yes?"</p><p>"Good. You don't want to know what would have happened if you refused. But if you hurt, betray, ignore - do so much as <em>poke </em>her in bad faith, you answer to me. Lord Hades watches over his children . . as do I. The other gods owe us many favours, too. Understood?" Her eyes glittered menacingly, and you wondered absently if it was a bit overkill. </p><p>Leo swallowed. "Understood."</p><p>Persephone smiled, and dropped her deadly look. "Excellent. Good luck, darling-" she kissed your cheek - "Bye, Nico! Remember what I said! And Solace - don't leave me out of the loop. Ta ta!" and she was gone.</p><p>"Well," Leo said, recovering some of his smile, "That was eventful."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. You vs A Fifty Foot Dragon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nico stresses out, you leave, and Leo raises his body temperature</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>No thoughts, just Leo walking to Uptown Funk.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0VDwqBN18vsm8B0AVwMYmA">TEAM LEO PLAYLIST</a>
</p><p>_________________________________________________</p><p>Nico paced up and down the cabin. He took it in turns to verbally stress out about you going on a quest with Leo - <em>he's not exactly reliable, y/n - </em>and what Persephone had said to Will - <em>I don't care if she's a mother, she's going to scare away all my friends!.</em></p><p>"It'll be fine, Neeks," you told him. He scowled a little at the nickname, but stepped closer anyway.</p><p>"I'll miss you," he said, which surprised you. He never spoke about his feelings.</p><p>"I'll miss you, too. But I've got to know. You understand, don't you?"</p><p>He nodded. "I blackmailed Hades for information about my mother. I wouldn't begrudge you this, even if it is with Valdez. Look after yourself, okay?"</p><p>"Okay." You gave him a tight hug. "I'll IM when I can, I'll come back as soon as I can, I'll call you if I need you, I'll rest after each shadow jump, I'll restock unicorn draught as soon as it gets low," you reeled off. "Good?"</p><p>"Good," Nico confirmed. "Don't let Valdez die, either. I'll never hear the end of it. He already did once."</p><p>"I'll have to ask him about that. Look after yourself too, alright? Let Will look after you."</p><p>Nico huffed. "Sunshine menace. I don't appreciate you giving him the job of 'looking after me'. I'm not five."</p><p>You shrugged. "Too late now. See you, Ghost King."</p><p>"See you, Shadow Queen."</p><p>-</p><p>"So, where're we going?" Leo asked. "And how're we getting there?"</p><p>"We're going to the Underworld, which means we're going to LA. And we're shadow travelling."</p><p>Leo frowned. "Why not use Festus? You shouldn't tire yourself out so soon."</p><p>"I don't know who Festus is."</p><p>"His fifty foot tall metal dragon," Piper offered helpfully. </p><p>You smiled. Of course Leo had a dragon. "Nice thought, but I'm assuming it flies, and I'm a child of Hades. I won't be flying, thank you."</p><p>"Isn't there anything else we can do? I've never shadow travelled before, I won't be much help."</p><p>"No other way, Leo. I've got Will's instructions, so don't panic if I do pass out. I won't though; I should be able to shadow travel twice a day now. Ready to go?"</p><p>"I guess."</p><p>You turned to your friends, giving them hugs in turn. You hugged Will extra tight, reminding him to look out for Nico - "And yourself. Don't think I don't know you overwork yourself in that infirmary." Will rolled his eyes but promised anyway. </p><p>"I'll watch him for you," Piper offered. </p><p>"Thank you, Piper."</p><p>"Watch Festus for me, will ya?" Leo told Jason, not waiting for an answer before he hugged Piper, who looked very nervous.</p><p>"I don't like letting him out of my sight," she fretted. "Last time I did that, he <em>died</em>. I haven't been without Leo for a year . . .  'cept when he went to- anyway," she cut herself off. "Take care, Repair Boy."</p><p>Jason grinned. "Yeah. Don't mess yourself up, don't stress yourself out. Look after him, y/n. We're entrusting our child to you."</p><p>Leo crossed his arms, looking more like a child by the second. "I'm not a child. How dare you."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah," you interrupted. "We're off now, guys. Watch out for any IM's!"</p><p>They said they would, and you dragged Leo past the pine tree on top of the hill. </p><p>"Okay." You took a deep breath. You actually had no idea how far you were meant to travel, but Will had OK'd it, so you should be alright. "Let's get to that forest. There aren't any shadows here."</p><p>Leo followed you onto the road. "Do we even have any money?"</p><p>You rolled your eyes. "Hades is the god of riches, of course we have money." You flashed a card at him. </p><p>He caught up to you. You had absolutely no idea what to do until you reached the forest, which was at least half a mile away. Leo seemed to be thinking the same thing.</p><p>"Let's play truth or dare!"</p><p>"If you want to ask a question, Hammer Head, then do it. There's literally nothing I won't answer." Even as you said it, you knew it was true. This wasn't a quest to find your long-lost mother who you were very close to; this was a quest to discover the story of the mother who handed you over to your uncles aged three. You didn't care what Leo was going to ask.</p><p>Leo huffed. "That takes all the fun out of it."</p><p>"We can't really do dares, though, can we? We need to keep walking."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess. OK, I'll bite. Who was your mother?"</p><p>You smiled. You had expected it to be way more complicated. "Her name was Mary. She was from Texas, which is why me and my uncles live up north. They said I needed a new start."</p><p>"And she . . .  died?"</p><p>"Yeah. She went missing when I was about seven - she went into a forest and never came back. There was no body."</p><p>"But you weren't with her?"</p><p>"Apparently she always said Texas 'wasn't safe' for me or something. When I was three she gave me to my uncles and we moved away. I don't remember her, I don't remember Texas."</p><p>Leo was silent for a while. And then he said, "I used to live in Texas too. My mom died in  . . ..  a machine shop fire. I was nine. It was because of Gaea - the earth tried to kill me but in the end, it didn't. Just my mom."</p><p>"Is this a good point to say we're ready to travel?" you asked quietly. Leo seemed a little lost in memories, but he nodded. </p><p>"Okay. You might feel a little dizzy - you're more likely to collapse than I am, but if I pass out (which I won't, don't panic), the care instructions are in my backpack. I'm going to shadow travel right to the entrance to the Underworld. We're going to go inside. You're going to let me do the talking, and then we're going to go see my dad. I'll probably have to talk to him by myself, though, okay? No arguing with him."</p><p>Leo sighed. "I'm failing in my job already. I have to let you go into the Land of the Dead by yourself, while I - what? Converse with the Furies?"</p><p>"If you like. Now hold on." You grasped hands, and fell into darkness.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. You discover something . . .  interesting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>To everyone's surprise it's Leo who's too dizzy to go on. So you leave him.<br/>What could go wrong?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I don't rly like this chapter . . . . </p><p>lmk if it's too cringey lmao</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You fell out of the shadows - well, Leo fell, you stepped - on the opposite side of the street to DOA Recording Studios. Underneath, stencilled on glass doors: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.</p><p>"No <em>living</em>?!" Leo exclaimed from his place on the floor. You extended a hand and pulled him up, but he pretty much flopped all over the place. "Shadow travelling is really disconcerting," he added, sliding down the wall to sit back on the ground. </p><p>It was getting dark, and you were right outside where you needed to go, but it was obvious that Leo wasn't going anywhere. It must have looked comical how your head swung from DOA to Leo, debating whether to go ahead and find your father, which you would have to do alone anyway, or whether to drag him to a hotel. Leo watched you, eyes following your movements. Eventually, he sighed.</p><p>"Just leave me here. I'm not going anywhere, I'll just wait for you. I have absolutely no wish to go near that place. It's <em>morbid.</em>"</p><p>You couldn't help but laugh at him calling death 'morbid'. "Okay, if you're sure . . . ." You just needed to get this done. In and out, back to Leo in no time. He slumped in relief. </p><p>"Yes, I'm sure."</p><p>He did look better now he didn't have to go into the Underworld, which you didn't understand but noted. Without further ado, you turned and crossed the road.</p><p>-</p><p>Inside, everything was grey and black. There were people sitting on couches, people standing up, people staring out the windows or waiting for the elevator. Nobody moved, or did much of anything, actually. You were really glad you weren't dead.</p><p>At this point, you were just acting on instinct. You approached the security guard at the raised desk in the centre of the room. He was tall, with dark skin and bleach-blonde hair. His name tag read 'Charon' in swirly letters that would have been murder on Nico's dyslexia.</p><p>"Um, excuse me?"</p><p>"Yes?" Charon looked bored.</p><p>"I need to speak to Hades."</p><p>"<em>Lord </em>Hades to you, honestly. Not that he deserves it. Been angling for a pay rise for years, and here I still am. Anyway. What would you need with Lord Hades?"</p><p>"Uh..." you patted yourself down, trying to find something that would explain who you are - the Camp Half Blood shirt was obviously getting you nowhere. Your hand closed on a small card Persephone had given you - <em>Quester of Cabin 13. </em>It seemed as good as anything, so you pulled it out and handed it to Charon.</p><p>He stared at it for a while, then stared at you. "You're Lady y/n?"</p><p>"I guess?" You didn't know you were a lady. You hoped no-one told Leo, he would never shut up about it. </p><p>Charon nodded. "Very well. See if you can mention my pay rise, will you? Lord Nico said he tried, but he never was very persuasive."</p><p>"Of course," you said politely, in case it got you through this quicker.</p><p>"You can shadow travel through then, Lady. Enjoy your stay."</p><p>You did so, hoping you wouldn't be staying too long.</p><p>-</p><p>You had no idea where to travel to, so you just followed the tug in your gut, until you finally appeared in what appeared to be a throne room. In front of you, a 3m tall Hades lounged on a throne of human bones, radiating power which would probably have effected someone who wasn't 50% Hades already. </p><p>"So you made it," he said, which was obvious, but you didn't say anything.</p><p>"Your powers are coming on excellently. I hope you will try some shadow manipulation soon."</p><p>You nodded, trying to look like you knew how to do that. Hades laughed, and stood up, shrinking to a human size - though he was still tall. He looked like an intense, thinner, and adult version of Will Solace, with black hair and an angular face. You could see the Nico in him. "I know that isn't why you're here. You're here for . . . what? Information?"</p><p>In truth, you didn't know. "Persephone told me to come here. I'm not sure why."</p><p>Hades nodded thoughtfully. Then he clicked his fingers, and two chairs appeared. "Let us discuss."</p><p>You sat down in one, and Hades sat in the other one. As soon as he was sitting he looked less intimidating to you, and when he smiled, he looked more like a father. It gave you a weird sense of courage as you remembered Nico's stories. <em>Just ask for what you want. Hades appreciates getting to the point. </em>So you did.</p><p>"I don't think you can actually tell me anything, can you?"</p><p>Hades smiled with half of his mouth. "Astute, aren't you? You're right. This is a quest. I can't just tell you everything, even if I knew it."</p><p>"What can you do then?"</p><p>Hades thought, then pulled paper from the air. "Here's the address to your old home, and some people who might know something. And, this one-" he tapped an address circled in red, Rosa Cano's - "That's where you need to go next. Another thing you may have to do alone, since the son of Hephaestus may not be able to."</p><p>"May not be - what?!"</p><p>"Ask him. Now. Onto more important things."</p><p>Personally you didn't think anything was more important than why you might have to do the next step by yourself, but you let him change the subject.</p><p>"You have your credit card, which is good. It's infinite, so go mad - but if you are running from monsters, they can find it on payment lists, so I wouldn't advise using it right after retreating. However, they can't track it, so they'd have to see you enter a store or something. Pretty pointless them checking at that point, but I needed to warn you. Anyway. Nico has a chauffeur, but I don't think you need one, you can just shadow travel - however, if you need one, send me a message-"</p><p>"How?"</p><p>"I - what?"</p><p>"How do I send you a message?"</p><p>"Don't you know? You can send things through the shadows. Write it down and send it to me, or just tell the shadows the message and they'll relay it to me. Shadows can also relay to Nico if you want to talk to him - you can use it like an Iris message - and he can talk back. Other people can't hear the shadows, but if you send them paper, they'll get it."</p><p>"Oh. That's kind of cool." </p><p>"I suppose. Oh, and you've got an house in pretty much every place you need to go. They're all called The Shadow House, so they're easy to find. Nico's are called The Ghost House, and you can use them if you can't find yours, he won't mind. Your house here is just down the street. Anything else?"</p><p>"Um, I don't think so. Except - since when am I a Lady?"</p><p>Hades laughed, properly, as though you'd said something hilarious. "Nico hates it too, you know. It's just a title you get, being my daughter. I'm a member of the Big Three, so when you're in my kingdom or talking to someone from my kingdom, they will call you Lady - you've met Jackson and Grace, have you not? It is the same for them. When Jackson is talking to fish, horses, nymphs, whatever, they call him Lord. Clear?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah, I suppose."</p><p>"You're chatty, aren't you? No matter. I'm not usually, either, but we had much to get through. Now we've been through it, you'd better be getting back to Valdez. I will send Charon with you."</p><p>"What? Leo's only on the other side of the street!"</p><p>"But he can't walk. Charon will take him, and you, to The Shadow House. Oh, before you go - let me tell you this one thing. You were wise to bring Valdez with you. If you shadow travel too often, you may become part of the shadows, simply because they are so fond of you. They won't let you go. After a day of travelling, you will need warmth - and I <em>know </em>you barely have any of your own."</p><p>"So, I steal his? I get him to light a fire?"</p><p>Hades grinned mischievously. "You'll need to share a blanket or something. Or a bed. And you will need to start tonight, because he needs all the extra warmth he can get."</p><p>"Wait wha-" </p><p>Hades snapped his fingers, and you stood back by Charon's desk. Charon smiled at you. "Ready to go, ma'am?"</p><p>You grimaced. "Please don't call me Lady. Or ma'am. Or anything like that. Leo will <em>never </em>shut up."</p><p>Charon then grinned. "That just makes it more fun."</p><p> </p><p>He pushed open the 'store' door, letting you go out first, before crossing the street to where Leo sat, still slumped against the wall, his eyes reflecting the streetlight like a cat's. Your best friend looked exhausted, and you felt bad for leaving him for - how long had it been?</p><p>Charon looked down on him with a little smirk. "First time shadow travelling? It'll get way easier next time, but I think it's the fire/shadow mix. Could be bad, could be explosive." He winked at you <em>way </em>too knowingly. Then he bent down and picked Leo up - Leo didn't even struggle, just flopped a little bit and blushed. You laughed at his face. </p><p>Charon swivelled, and looked back at you. "This way, my Lady." </p><p>You scowled.</p><p>-</p><p>What Hades hadn't told you was your house was a <em>mansion. </em></p><p>After some ambrosia and a blanket, Leo could walk without falling - and so he wandered around your house, ooh-ing and aah-ing and generally making a nuisance of himself. Charon was watching you with that knowing look, so you just asked for a tour and then he left. </p><p>You collapsed on the sofa - well, one of them - and wondered what to do know. You should probably talk to Leo about your conversation with Hades, but thinking about the whole <em>'the son of Hephaestus may not be able to' </em>thing made you scared on a whole new level. </p><p>"Hey, <em>sombra</em>!" Leo said, poking his head around the door. "Is it time to eat?"</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Gods fricking damn it, Nico!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Cuddles and fluff bc these guys deserve it &lt;3</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>A/n: If you couldn't guess, take a look at my <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lonelylilravenclaw/video/6939471282010393861?lang=en&amp;is_copy_url=0&amp;is_from_webapp=v1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;sender_web_id=6916831040946947589">comfort characters</a></strong>
</p><p>You ended up ordering pizza, because you didn't want to cook and you wouldn't let Leo do it (the man had been in a heap just a few hours ago, no way was he cooking a meal by himself).</p><p>You watched as Leo carefully built a blanket fort easily the size of a Camp Half Blood cabin. Hades' words wouldn't leave you alone, not even for enough time to sit in the fort and wait for the pizza to arrive (it was ten minutes late already, surprise surprise). Leo must have noticed your smile was semi-fake, because he dragged you into a pile of pillows and shifted so he was opposite you (and also handily blocking the entrance/exit. He'd obviously dealt with Nico before). </p><p>"What's wrong?" he asked, eyeing your face with an expression which screamed '<em>I will know if you're lying so spit it out, buddy</em>'.</p><p>"Just . . . something Hades said," you hedged, not really wanting to say everything. How do you tell your best friend/quest friend that you'd been told he probably couldn't do the quest?</p><p>"About me?" Leo asked. Damn, he was astute. </p><p>"Yeah. He gave me this list of addresses, and he said . . . he said maybe you wouldn't be able to go to this one address. The most important one."</p><p>Leo scowled. His nose caught fire, which made you laugh a little. "Yeah, well, Hades can suck-"<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, okay, got it," you interrupted. "And - and one other thing."</p><p>Leo looked apprehensive, like it couldn't get any worse. </p><p>"Nothing bad!" you assured him. "Well, depending on how you think about it, but it's not quest-threatening . . . I don't think. I mean if you-"</p><p>"Spit it out," Leo told you, moving to sit next to you, which made it kind of harder and kind of easier to tell him what else your dad had said.</p><p>"Basically, you're going to keep feeling sick after a shadow jump if you don't reduce your body temperature, because the shadows are conflicting. And, I need to raise my body temperature, otherwise the shadows try to keep me."</p><p>"Nah, they can't have you. You're mine now."</p><p>You rolled your eyes. "If you're so smart, you'll know what I said means."</p><p>"It means . . . cuddles!" Leo grinned. "For ages."</p><p>You sighed, regretting it already.</p><p>Leo's smile dropped a little. He turned your head to look at him. "Hey, y/n. Whatever it is, we'll get through it together, okay?"</p><p>You breathed out a little. "Okay."</p><p>"Okay. Quest friends forever, alright? And . . . that's the pizza. Nice. Back in a mo!"</p><p>And, amazingly, you did feel better.</p><p>-</p><p>You spent the rest of the night singing karaoke in the fort, eating pizza, and drinking energy drinks - which had the same effect as alcohol. Leo was almost literally bouncing off the walls, which caused you to lock the rest of the drinks in a cupboard and then hide the key, so he would calm down enough to sleep at a reasonable time. Eventually you ended up in a two-person pile in the middle of a wall of pillows, which you judged as a good time to go to bed.</p><p>"Why can't we sleep in the fort?" Leo suggested, which made you pause.</p><p>"Nah. Can you imagine the back pain? Plus, it's a mess in here and I don't want to wake up to that." </p><p>Leo shrugged and got up, following you out of the room.</p><p> </p><p>The room you'd chosen wasn't the biggest one, but it was still a queen-sized bed. Leo had voted for its many pillows, while you liked its proximity to the stairs - mornings made it hard for you to compute anything before a cup of coffee, and the kitchen was downstairs.</p><p>While you waited for Leo to finish getting ready, you started poking around the room. You opened the wardrobe, and were amazed to see it was full of clothes in your size, while the top shelf had Leo's. Huh. Maybe Hades knew you better than you thought.</p><p>Leo walked in and immediately jumped on the bed. You rolled your eyes at his antics, before getting in your side.</p><p>"This is weird," you commented, watching as Leo grabbed as many blankets as possible and started trying to construct a two-person blanket burrito. </p><p>"Nah, it isn't," Leo argued, throwing a pillow at your head. You immediately threw it back; he grabbed it and whacked you in the face, which can't go unpunished, so you got another one and hit him back - which of course escalated into a pillow fight, which ended in you way closer than you would have put yourself, sprawled right over Leo, whose body temperature was ridiculous.</p><p>"Are you this warm normally?" you asked, rolling off of him. He grinned sheepishly.</p><p>"Nope. You're freezing, so I did you a favour."</p><p>"I thought we were meant to be reducing your temperature?"</p><p>"Well you're all the way over there, how's my heat meant to reach you?"</p><p>You sighed, and shuffled closer. Leo wrapped and arm around you; he was really, really warm, so you snuggled in (hey, you were trying to cool him down!). Leo laughed, and you could hear the buzz in his chest.</p><p>"Comfy there?"</p><p>"Shut it, Hammer Head. I'm distributing cold."</p><p>"Yeah, okay."</p><p>You were silent, but the silence wasn't loud or uncomfortable. It was just two quest friends, trying to regulate body heat. </p><p>-</p><p>You woke again at 3am. You didn't even know why you were awake, until you caught sight of the wall.</p><p>"You look warm," Nico's shadow image commented.</p><p>"Nico!" you exclaimed. "It's 3am!"</p><p>"Yeah, I know. But do we really want to have to explain the shadow thing to everyone?"</p><p>"Huh, guess not."</p><p>You must not have been speaking quietly enough, because Leo shifted, and then opened his eyes.</p><p>"It's just Nico, go back to sleep," you told him, but he sat up and ran a hand through his curls. </p><p>"Hi, Death Boy," he said, even though he clearly couldn't see him. "I'll get coffee."</p><p>"It's 3am, Leo."</p><p>"Never too late - or early - for coffee."</p><p>He got out of bed, which kind of left you stranded in a weird position because he wasn't there to prop you up, so you sat up and glared at Nico.</p><p>"You've just lost me my heater, Di Angelo."</p><p>"Yeah, whatever. You looked like a cat."</p><p>"Charming."</p><p>"That's my middle name. Anyhow, I've got to commend you on your choice of quest partner. He didn't even blink when you told him it was me, and he can't see or hear me."</p><p>"Weird follows me around."</p><p>"Yeah, me too."</p><p>"Did you call for any particular reason?"</p><p>"Just checking on you. I'm going to the Underworld tomorrow, which of course means a lot of 'Oh, have mercy, your Lordship' when they know I'm not gonna show them mercy."</p><p>"Harsh."</p><p>"It's the way of the world. Will's really mad, because I only just came back from the Underworld."</p><p>"Awwww, you're so cute together."</p><p>"Shut it. I see you and Leo."</p><p>"It's strategic distribution of body heat."</p><p>"I know. And I promise it's not a Hades prank, it is really necessary. And yet . . . you seem to be enthusiastic about it."</p><p>You rolled your eyes. "I'm really not. However, Leo is really warm."</p><p>Nico grinned at you. "Yeah, whatever. I'll leave you two lovebirds alone."</p><p>"NICO DI ANGELO!" you yelled, just as Leo entered again with coffee.</p><p>"Here ya go," he said. "It's hot," he added, with a wink.</p><p>You thanked him, and then turned back to Nico, who looked smug.</p><p>"Ah, shut it, Death Boy," you told him, and threw a slipper at his image.</p><p>Nico feigned hurt. "I'll be going then."</p><p>"Get back to loverboy!" you teased right as the message faded out, so Nico couldn't do anything but flip you off as he disappeared.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Pls comment -</p><p>How can I work some gay into this???</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. 3am is not the time, dude</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nightmaresnightmaresnightmares</p><p>In consideration for those of you who find demigod dreams really cringey, there is no actual description of the dream; we hear about it through y/n talking to Leo</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW: Mild nightmares, mild panic, VERY mild ptsd</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Coffee at 3am was the wrong choice for Leo. It kicked in immediately, so he couldn't sit still. You could feel the effects buzzing around your head, too, so you collectively agreed to get up and do something more interesting. </p><p>You grabbed the list of addresses but you couldn't bring yourself to look at them, not just yet. You collapsed next to Leo on the sofa; Leo had already restarted his systematic tapping. It sounded like a pattern, something that could be understood if you knew the language.</p><p>"Is that Morse Code?" you asked, because you had nothing else to say.</p><p>Leo jumped a little and blushed. "Do you understand it?"</p><p>"No, I only know English . . . and Greek, I suppose."</p><p>He relaxed a little, and let his fingers wander to his tool belt (had he slept with that on??). "Oh. Yeah, my mom taught me it." He smiled wistfully, like he'd uncovered something he part wanted to see and part hated with his entire being. You wished you could sympathise, but you didn't have any memories of your mother. Part of you wondered absently if it would do Leo any good to talk to Nico. They had similar stories, in a way, except Leo had had no-one and Nico had had Bianca . . .  until he didn't.</p><p>"Leo?"</p><p>"Yeah?" </p><p>"Why didn't any monsters come after me?"</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"I mean, I've only just come to camp, but Nico was found by Zeus when he was eight."</p><p>"Well, there was only one of you. You've moved around a lot, moved away from wherever your mom presumably met Hades...."</p><p>"Am I just . .. not powerful enough?"</p><p>Leo reacted kinda violently to that idea. He practically jumped round in his seat, so he faced you. "Y/n, if those words come out of your mouth ever again, I'm taping it up." He held a roll of duct tape like it was a deadly weapon.</p><p>You pouted, grabbed the roll out of his hand (it was a struggle, even without him trying to hold onto it), threw it across the room, and got a handful of shadow. "If you ever threaten me again, I'll-" the shadow morphed into a pair of scissors - "Cut your tape."</p><p>Leo gasped in fake hurt/fear. Then he smiled. "Good threat, but not good enough. A-ha!" A new roll of tape sat on the palm of his hand, a wall of fire around it so you couldn't get to it. </p><p>You sighed, threw the shadow-scissors into the corner of the room, and admitted defeat. Leo grinned triumphantly and put out the fire, pushing the tape back into his toolbelt. </p><p>Eventually, your head drooped until it hit Leo's shoulder. In your half-asleep haze, you felt him shift around until you could lie down properly, resting on his chest.</p><p>-</p><p>Never, ever fall asleep at 4am with a coffee buzz.</p><p>Your brain seemed to think now was a good idea to play a reel of every time something weird happened in your life. The time a dog jumped at you and tried to drag you away; seeing faces in the ground; finding the best rocks and bones at school 'archaeological digs'; your history teacher leaving and being replaced by a grey-skinned zombie-like man. Every time a stranger tried to kidnap or kill you; every time shadows seemed to reach out to you. You realised you'd always been surrounded by monsters, but you hadn't given them the time of day. You supposed it had to help that most demigods were hunted by Hades' monsters, and Hades would never send anything after you. </p><p>You woke shaking, though you barely registered why. Leo was still awake like the insomniac he was, and he sat up as soon as he saw your eyes were open.</p><p>"Hey. Everything okay?" he asked, passing an eye over your trembling hands.</p><p>In truth, you didn't know. The monsters in your past had never really effected you, but now you knew what they were, it hit you how often your life was in danger. There could be monsters outside right now, and you wouldn't know until you stepped out the door . . . or the monsters found a way in. </p><p>Leo seemingly took your silence for a 'no', as he sat up and helped you do the same, before wrapping an arm around you. Your shaking stopped, but your lungs still made every breath difficult. Every movement out of the corner of your eye gave you a shot of adrenaline; shadows were moving in response to your emotions, but you couldn't tell which shadows were harmless and which were a forewarning of another monster. Leo lit a small fire on his free hand, pushing back the shadows which were threatening to take hold of you.</p><p>"Nightmare?" he asked, with a softness you didn't know he possessed.</p><p>"Kind of," you admitted. "More of a reel..."</p><p>"Want to talk about it?"</p><p>You did, but you also didn't want to throw more baggage onto an already burdened soul. Leo's life had been, and was, difficult, and he didn't need your problems as well, as small as they seemed.</p><p>Leo's eyes took on a knowing look. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to know, y/n. I'm not selfless. If I didn't want to hear it, I would have told you it was just a nightmare and to go back to sleep."</p><p>You smiled at this, knowing he wouldn't, but accepting the point. "It's just - have you ever had a monster pose as someone you knew? Like, a teacher?"</p><p>Leo raised his eyebrows. "Have you paid no attention to my story? I haven't been in a good school since I was nine, I never stayed long enough for a monster to turn up. But, I know what you mean - a monster posed as a student in my year at Wilderness. Piper got paired with him for a project, but then he revealed himself and tried to kill us."</p><p>"Sounds like a nice guy."</p><p>"Well, aren't all monsters kinda annoying? Wasn't yours?"</p><p>You raised an eyebrow at the smooth switch of focus from Leo to you, but accepted it. "Well, I came to camp after I had a run in with Mr Prewitt. Him and another teacher had wings - they were like bat-humans or something."</p><p>"Okay."</p><p>"He kept me back after school, said he wanted to talk about my work. I normally got good marks, so I was a little off-guard."</p><p>"Because you were wondering what you did wrong?"</p><p>"....Yeah..."</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"There's nowhere to run," Mrs Kelly/demon lady hissed, taking a step closer to you.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mr Prewitt/demon man snarled in agreement, closing ranks to back to right against the wall, unable to even attempt to run past him or Mrs Kelly. "Your time is up, y/n y/l/n. You will no longer avoid what is coming to you. Your father broke the oath. He will pay."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My..my father? My biological father?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Who else?" Demon Man said, clawed hand reaching for your throat. "What a shame you will never meet him."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Gnarled fingers closed around your windpipe. Stars swam around Demon Man's head and spots danced over the floor. Black appeared at the edges of your sight, making a tunnel vision effect. At the centre of the tunnel you saw your best friend, Ash, run at Demon Lady.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No!" you wanted to say, but you couldn't. Amazingly, Ash managed to hit Demon Lady in the head. She crumpled, soon followed by Demon Man, and then you, as you slid down the wall in a daze.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The gods are real!" Ash yelled, which confused you, but you didn't have time to think about it as Demon Man struggle upright. Ash grabbed hold of your arm, played some kind of weird tune on the panpipes he kept in his rucksack, and then your vision went black.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>"...Jeez," Leo said. "I mean, at least no-one died. And Ash is a badass! But still. Jeez."</p><p>"Yeah." you agreed. "Jeez."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Pizza on toast because Leo is a madman and apparently you are too</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Who the heck is Rosa Cano, and is Leo hiding something??</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TALK TO ME<br/>I TALK BACK</p><p>SERIOUSLY PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO ME I WOULD LIKE SOME FEEDBACK</p><p>(if you have commented then ily and you are my motivation<br/>if you haven't, i still love you but pls comment)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You drifted in and out of sleep while Leo twisted pipe cleaners into artistic shapes. Around 6am he handed you a detailed pipe cleaner flower and went to make breakfast, which left you on the sofa feeling kinda cold, so you followed him to the kitchen.</p><p>"Oh, hi," Leo said when he saw you. "I thought you were gonna sleep for a bit longer."</p><p>"Nah, I was cold. What's for breakfast?"</p><p>Leo grinned. "I think cereal is kinda boring. What about-" he opened the fridge door dramatically - "Pizza?"</p><p>"There's pizza?"</p><p>"There will be. Well, cheese and tomato on toast. Same difference. Yes? No?"</p><p>"Hell yes!"</p><p>You jumped onto the counter while Leo started invading cupboards. He insisted he didn't want help, despite the fact that he had only slept for four hours last night. Instead, he started talking you through what he was doing, explaining it like it was a machine being built, or a desk from Ikea. Occasionally he would throw in a joke. He couldn't burn himself, but he did once drop the cheese right off a slice of bread, exclaim "<em>Carajo!"</em>, and then laugh maniacally. You made a mental note to make sure Leo slept more next time.</p><p>Eventually Leo hopped up next to you, handed you your food, and started telling jokes through mouthfuls of toast. Once he told one in Spanish - "<em>¿Por qué el pollo cruzó el</em> <em>parque? Para llegar a la otra diapositiva!" </em>, frowned, and complained "It doesn't work in Spanish, ugh." He didn't seem to noticed you'd frozen until he nudged your shoulder and you didn't smile.</p><p>"What's up?" he asked.</p><p>"Leo..." you said slowly. "I understood."</p><p>"What?" </p><p>"I knew what you were saying. Your joke. <em>Why did the chicken cross the park? To get to the other slide."</em></p><p>"You . . . you can speak Spanish?"</p><p>"No, I can't. I have never spoken it in my life. I mean, I sometimes understood the nicknames you gave me, but I thought that was because we did French at school."</p><p>"Have you heard that joke told in Spanish before?"</p><p>"No, I don't know anyone else who can speak Spanish."</p><p>"Huh. <em>¿Puedes entenderme ahora? Si hablo en español por el resto de la misión, podríamos ocultar nuestros planes a los monstruos. Excepto que no sé si puedes hablar español, sólo que podrías entenderlo. ¿Qué pasa si-"</em></p><p>"Yeah, yeah. I don't speak it, I understand it, and you will speak in English until told otherwise."</p><p>"Spoilsport."</p><p>"That's my middle name."</p><p>You finished your food, but didn't move from the counter. If you were going to get anything done, you would have to tell Leo about the next stage of the quest - going down to Texas to see Rosa Cano, which Hades had said Leo might not want to do. </p><p>Leo had gotten more pipe cleaners out of his belt, and was making a helicopter. "Tried this once before," he told you. "It flew halfway across the Grand Canyon, and then I was attacked by some storm spirits."</p><p>"Did you die?"</p><p>Leo frowned. "I'm alive, y/n. Of course I didn't die."</p><p>".....Nico said you died once."</p><p>Leo sighed. "Absolute snitch, that one. Well, Ghost Girl? See anything interesting about my soul?"</p><p>You considered Leo for a long time. His life force seemed like it was either newer than everyone else's, or it had been washed until it seemed new. "You died. You came back to life. That's . . . You're <em>mad, </em>Leo."</p><p>"That's my middle name."</p><p>-</p><p>It was only 8am, but it felt like you ought to be <em>doing </em>something. You were on a quest! Despite not having a time limit or anyone to please but yourselves, sitting in a mansion seemed too easy. Time to cause some problems, you supposed.</p><p>"Leo?"</p><p>"Yeah?" Leo hit . . . whatever he was making . . . hard with a hammer.</p><p>"I've got some addresses, here, of where we need to go."</p><p>"Oh, cool! Hades is more useful than he lets on, huh?"</p><p>"Um, yeah. We need to go to the top one first . . . go back to Texas! Nice, right?"</p><p>Leo paused. "Where in Texas?"</p><p>You squinted at the address like you didn't have it memorised. "Houston."</p><p>"Uh . . ." Leo seemed to steady himself. "Yeah, that's nice. Where I lived before, you know. Who are we visiting?"</p><p>You took a deep breath. Now or never; Leo needed to know who he was seeing, whether he was going to go or not. "A lady called Rosa Cano."</p><p>Leo made a noise like he'd been sucker punched. "I - right. Okay. Why?"</p><p>"I don't know. Hades said it was important. I <em>had </em>to see her. He also said-" you hesitated. It wasn't worth distressing Leo any more.</p><p>"Said what?"</p><p>"You might not . . . be able to do this bit with me."</p><p>Five pints of blood were seemingly zapped into the void, as Leo's entire body went pale. Then he shook his head. "I am doing it with you. <em>Nothing </em>is going to stop me from leaving you with a load of enemies again."</p><p>"You mean like the Underworld? Those weren't enemies, and presumably neither is-"</p><p>"She is." Leo sounded really shaken. "She - she is. I'm not going to talk about it."</p><p><em>Well, great, </em>you thought. <em>I've really done it now.</em></p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>short chapter aujord'hui buttttttttt how to write Aunt Rosa (yea if you hadn't worked it out that's who Rosa Cano is)????</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Hitting things isn't therapy (but it sure feels like it)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>When there's something wrong<br/>And you don't know what<br/>Who you gonna call?<br/>WILL SOLACE!!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is dedicated to all my fellow Will Solace stans, kinnies, and simps<br/>I hope you're standing in the sunshine, my loves &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Leo said he didn't want to talk about it, what he actually meant was he was going to hole up in his workshop and hit things and swear (often in a type of English that didn't seem to be English. He had a funny way with words, did Leo).</p><p>Eventually you got sick of hearing a <em>CLANG! </em>followed by "HOLY MOTHER-" and a thump as Leo threw something against the wall. You had to get out of earshot, for one, and for another, you needed to talk to someone who wasn't constantly breaking stuff.</p><p>It was time to IM Will Solace.</p><p>-</p><p>"Y/n!" Will beamed. He pushed some of his blonde curls out of his face and put his pen down.</p><p>"Hi, Will. I'm not interrupting anything important, am I?"</p><p>He scoffed. "Pff, no, I'm glad you've come to distract me. I'm trying to write up Nico's patient profile but I don't know anything about him. Like when was he born? Does he have any allergies? What is his previous medical history? When was his last vaccine - actually, I know that one, I'm pretty sure I gave it to him like four years ago. He's way due for HPV! Has he had his MMR? Is he going to die of anything any time soon if he doesn't?? So. Many. Questions!!"</p><p>You grimaced slightly. "Don't tell him it was me who told you, but he was born on 28th January 1932. He's allergic to strawberries, he has had basically no vaccines because he was born in 1932 - you're right there, any vaccines he's had, you've probably given him - and all his previous medical history is probably being sewn up by various friends."</p><p>Will huffed. "I saw the mess Reyna made of his werewolf scratches. Awful! I have to make sure he - wait. 1932?!"</p><p>"Shhh," you cautioned. "Best to get him to tell you and then pretend you didn't already know. It's been hard for him. Anyway, what I actually want you to talk about is you. How are you? When is your birthday?"</p><p>Will wrinkled his nose. "19th August. I'm fine, actually, but I think Nico's really feeling the effects of not having any sisters. He's used to always being near one, you know, even after Bianca died, 'cos he lived in the Underworld. Now he's actually opened up to people a bit more and acknowledged that, as a human, he needs them, he feels a bit sad without anyone there. Do you know what Percy said? Well, I don't normally talk to him, but Jason said that Percy said that Nico was really chatty when he was smaller. I think I met him then like once, and he didn't stop talking about Mythomagic - still doesn't, actually, if you give him the chance-"</p><p>"Will!" you interrupted. "I've talked to Nico last night. I can tell what's up. I want to know about <em>you.</em>"</p><p>"Nico spoke to you? And he didn't tell me? I'm gonna kill him, I wanted to talk to you too."</p><p>"You couldn't have, it was shadow messaging - and don't worry, we shared the strain, he won't have died overnight. How actually are you, Will? You look tired."</p><p>Will shifted around in his seat. "I, uh.. May have pulled two all nighters in a row."</p><p>"WILL!" you yelled. Leo stopped hitting things, which probably meant he thought you were in trouble, so you lowered your volume to normal talking level. "What did I say about looking after yourself?!"</p><p> " Kayla had a date-" </p><p> " All night. Both nights. "</p><p> "....yes."</p><p> " William whatever -your-middle-name-is Solace, if I have to abandon Leo in this godforsaken house to force you to sleep, I will blow. My. Fricking. Lid. "</p><p> "It was you who messaged me," Will argued weakly . Leo hit something extra hard, and the noise echoed around the house. Will raised an eyebrow. </p><p> "He's having a moment," you said. " and I'm going to finish this message, because you are going to take a nap. I will be calling Nico in ten minutes, and if you aren't out of there by then, I will know and I <em>will </em>be coming up there. "</p><p> "But-"</p><p> "Don't fucking test me, Solace."</p><p> Apparently your glares were stronger than Nico 's, because Will winced. "Okay. But only if you sort out whatever Leo's problem is."</p><p> You sighed. "Deal."</p><p> Your high five wiped out the IM.</p>
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